The Perfumed Letter
by Vol lady
Summary: In a scene from "The Man from Nowhere" Heath and Nick bring in the mail, and Heath has received a letter that he runs under his nose before he opens. It is perfumed. We never hear about it again, but it's bugged me for 50 years. WHO is that letter from!
1. Chapter 1

The Perfumed Letter

Chapter 1

Heath thumbed through the mail as he and Nick came into the house, Nick bellowing as usual, their mother coming down the stairs and stopping in exasperation.

"Nick, must you always start hollering the minute you come in the door?" Victoria asked for the millionth time.

"All right, where do you want me to start hollering?" Nick asked.

Heath found the letter addressed to him. He had caught the scent even before he found the letter and smiled inside as he ran it under his nose for more.

Audra came running down the stairs in a bathrobe, her hair tied up in a towel. "Is there anything for me?"

"No," Heath said as he handed Victoria all the letters except the one that was for him. That one he opened and began reading.

"Odd, there's nothing from Jarrod," Victoria said. "He said he'd write as soon as he got to Rockville."

"There's probably only one stage from Rockville every week," Heath said. He read on in his letter, smiling.

"Well, I'll get you some lunch," Victoria said.

"No, no, we'll eat at the chuck wagon," Nick said, giving Heath a slap on the arm and heading for the door.

Heath put the letter in his shirt pocket and followed Nick.

XXXXXXXX

Things derailed for a few days then. Jarrod had not reached Rockville, and no one knew where he was. Nick and Heath went looking for him, and except for the occasional scent that drift up from his pocket, Heath forgot about the letter.

It was a tough time, but eventually Nick and Heath found their brother living with the family he had gone to Rockville to see. He had been injured in a fall from his horse and lost all memory of who he was or why he was there. Nick and Heath found him and, after fighting and tears and relief and struggling to get through the fog of a damaged memory, Nick and Heath helped Jarrod find himself. They left Rockville with their older brother in tow.

Going home wasn't really all that smooth at first. Jarrod was silent, seemed almost brooding when his brothers thought he should have been happier about remembering things again. When they camped that first night, Jarrod was even silent while they ate and shared coffee before turning in.

Nick finally found his worry overtaking his relief. "Jarrod, are you doing all right?"

"Yeah, Nick," Jarrod said quietly. "Just still sorting things out in my head."

"How so?"

Jarrod looked up at Heath. "I didn't know who you were until I saw your gun. The eagle on your gun – somehow it made me remember."

Heath nodded. "You're all right now."

"Sort of."

Nick and Heath looked at each other. "What do you mean?" Heath asked.

"I think I still have some holes in my head."

"What kind of holes?" Nick asked.

Jarrod ran a hand through his hair. "Things missing. I can't picture where I live. Nothing comes to mind. I can't – I can't see who I live with. I think I live with you and Nick but I can't picture anybody else, even though I think there is someone else."

Nick and Heath looked at each other, worried. "Well, you live part time with us and part time in San Francisco, alone. No wonder you can't get it straight yet."

"It'll come to you, just like when you looked at the gun," Heath said. "When we get home, it'll come to you, if not before."

Jarrod's blue eyes looked uncertain. "You sound sure."

"I am sure. Here, let's try something."

He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the letter he had received just before he and Nick left home. He ran it under his nose – he wanted to relish the scent again himself - then handed it to Jarrod.

"I got this letter just before we left to come look for you," Heath said. "Do you recognize that scent?"

Jarrod ran the letter under his nose. The scent did seem familiar somehow – something stirred. In the darkness, his eyes took on a faraway look, like he was seeing something that only he could see, a piece of a memory trying to come back.

He suddenly smiled. "Melanie Palmer," he said and took a whiff of the scent again.

Heath smiled. "Once I caught this scent, I had to open the letter right up."

Jarrod said, "What does she say?" as he handed the letter back to Heath.

"Well, she says she wants to see me in Stockton, a few days from now. Do you remember her at all, or just this scent?"

"Oh, I remember her. Brunette, dark brown eyes, not more than five foot two if she's that tall. Sweet, sweet young lady – much too young for me, of course, but perfect for you. I remember – I remember the two of you dancing together in a parlor – our parlor! I remember it! There was some party. Nick, you weren't there, you were off on a trip to one of the mines or somewhere. I'll bet you would have fought Heath for her attention if you'd been there."

Heath laughed. "See, I told you things would come back to you."

"You're right," Jarrod said. "Amazing, what the fragrance from one letter can – well, wake up in a man."

"Yeah, Big Brother, just remember, you said she was much too young for you but perfect for me."

"Are you going to see her?" Jarrod asked Heath.

"Oh, yeah," Heath said, smiling. "I just hope she's not coming to tell me she's getting married or something."

"I kinda doubt she'd send a letter that smells like that if she was coming to tell you she's getting married," Nick said. "I'm looking forward to meeting this girl myself."

Heath gave Nick a warning glance, and Nick grinned.

"It's a lovely fragrance," Jarrod said, his smile growing. "Makes me remember – a few other young women – that you two don't know anything about."

Heath and Nick laughed. "I'm not about to go prying into your love life, Jarrod, not even to help you remember it," Heath said. "You're on your own with that."

Jarrod's eyes got the old twinkle back. "I suspect you'll be too busy with Miss Palmer to concern yourself with me."

XXXXXXXXX

There were tears of worry and relief waiting for them when they got home, and Heath was right. Jarrod remembered his mother and sister as soon as he saw them. Once they settled Jarrod back into his real life and finished the explanations about what had happened in Rockville, everyone was more relaxed and comfortable.

"I'm just happy to have you home safe and sound," Victoria said. "I was worried sick."

"No need to worry," Jarrod said. "Everything is fine."

Jarrod knew he still had some holes in his memory, but he did not mention that to his family. He let any great concern about him close out as Victoria said, "Oh, Heath, a telegram came for you while you were gone. It's on the table near the bottom of the stairs."

Heath left his family in the parlor and went for the telegram. Nick and Jarrod exchanged knowing smiles that Victoria did not miss. She took a guess that the telegram was from a woman, but she did not ask questions.

Audra, however, did. "Who's it from?" she asked as Heath opened it and came back into the parlor.

"Oh – " Heath said, hesitating as he wondered whether to leave the question unanswered, but then deciding not to. "It's from Melanie Palmer."

Audra's eyes lit up. "Melanie Palmer?!"

Another memory popped into Jarrod's head, and into Heath's and Victoria's – Audra and Melanie with their heads together in the parlor, their eyes on Heath, their smiles for Heath. Jarrod couldn't remember if Heath noticed that part or not.

Victoria remembered. Heath did notice. Victoria remembered how he and Melanie danced together very frequently at the party. She remembered what a charming young lady Melanie was. "I didn't know you were still in touch with her," she said to Heath.

"I haven't been," Heath said. "Got this letter before we went up after Jarrod, but other than that, I haven't been in touch with her."

"What does the wire say?" Audra asked.

Victoria put her hand on Audra's arm. "Audra, there's no call to go prying into Heath's affairs."

Heath smiled. "Well, it won't stay a secret anyway. She's arriving the day after tomorrow on the train from Carson City."

Nick had watched all of this and smiled. "Well, good, I've been looking forward to meeting this mysterious lady."

"There's nothing mysterious," Audra said. "She's from Baltimore. Visited us a few months ago, while you were out on a tour of the mines. We had a dance while she was here. She and Heath shared practically every dance together."

"So don't go getting ideas," Heath said to Nick.

"At least not until Heath's had another crack at her," Jarrod said.

The lawyer's blue eyes twinkled.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two days later, Heath appeared at breakfast in a suit and tie, causing raised eyebrows everywhere, especially from Nick.

"Well, look at you," Nick said. "Guess you're not planning to be fixing fences in that get-up."

"I'm picking up Melanie on the train, remember?" Heath said as he sat down and dug into breakfast.

Jarrod was also in a suit, but because he was planning to go into his office and reacquaint himself with whatever cases were waiting for him. It would be his first trip in since he got home. He couldn't remember what cases were waiting there, but he was hoping reviewing some files would jog things. "You'll be taking the buggy, then," he said.

"I hope you don't need it," Heath said.

Jarrod took a sip of coffee, shaking his head. "No, I'll just take Jingo in."

"I'll have to see what Melanie is planning. I don't know a thing about why she's here, or who she's planning to see, or where she's planning to stay."

Victoria said, "You may certainly invite her to stay here if you'd like."

"I'll see what her plans are," Heath said.

"Well, I would love to see her," Audra said. "We had such a good time together while she was here. I was pretty surprised when she left as early as she did."

"She had other plans," Heath said. "When you come from back east and you're touring the west, you keep to a schedule, I guess."

Jarrod frowned to himself. Something began to itch at the back of his mind, something that made him uneasy about Melanie and the last time she was here. He had no idea why, and that made him even more uneasy.

"Can we expect you for dinner?" Victoria asked Heath.

"I guess so," Heath said. "Though I'm not sure what Melanie has in mind."

"Do bring her home if you can," Audra said. "I would love to see her again."

"Jarrod?" Victoria asked. "Will you be home for dinner?"

"Better let me leave that open," Jarrod said. "I don't know what I'll have at the office until I get there. If I'm not home by about seven, go on without me."

"Nick, Audra, I guess you will both be here for dinner?"

"Oh, yes, I want to see Melanie again," Audra said.

"And I want the chance to meet her," Nick said.

"Well, then, it's settled," Victoria said. "Heath, you'd better be very persuasive and bring her here for dinner."

Heath smiled. "I will do my best."

XXXXXXX

Heath paced the platform at the train station, checking his watch too often. His hands were shaking, and he was surprised about it. He really shouldn't have felt this nervous about seeing Melanie again, but he was. He didn't know why he was. It was driving him crazy.

When they parted company several months earlier, there were no promises to stay in touch, no promises to even see one another again. What had happened between them was very casual – far more casual than Audra seemed to think it was. At least to him it was casual. Could it have been more important to Melanie?

No, he'd have heard from her before now if she had been taking things more seriously. So why was she getting back in touch now? And why a perfumed letter?

Heath kept checking his watch. The train was running late. Why was it the train was always running late when you were waiting for it?

He finally heard the whistle sounding, out of sight but not too far away. His hands started to shake even more. _Cut it out_ , he kept telling himself. _She's just a girl you danced with one night_.

The train came into view around a bend, and the whistle sounded again. In just a minute, it was pulling to a stop in the station. Heath cleared his throat when it came to a stop. He looked up and down as the conductors climbed down and started to help passengers get off.

 _What if I don't recognize her_? Heath asked himself.

He recognized her. A conductor was helping her down to the platform twenty feet or so away. He also took her bag from her and put it on the platform. She smiled at the conductor and stepped onto the platform. Then she looked around and saw Heath.

She looked just like Heath remembered, petite and sparkling all over. She beamed as Heath came to her, and she leaned forward, inviting him to kiss her on the cheek, which he did. "Oh, Heath, it's so good to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too, Melanie," he said, picking up her bag. "It was a big surprise, getting your letter."

"Oh, I'll bet it was. Did you like the perfume touch?"

"Well – "

She laughed. "I wanted to make sure you'd open it."

Heath offered his arm, and she took it. "I've got a buggy waiting over here. Would you like to stop for a cup of coffee or something to eat before we go out to the ranch?"

"Coffee would hit the spot."

"You can tell me all about your trip out here this time."

"Actually, it's not a 'this time.' I never did go back east."

Heath was startled. "Really? It's been, what, three or four months?"

"Well, it's been quite a tour of the west. I'll tell you all about it over coffee."

They went to a small café for coffee and conversation. Heath thought she looked even more beautiful than she had before – she wore a blue traveling dress with a softer blue hat and white gloves. Her dark hair peaked out from under her hat and her dark eyes sparkled. Yes, he remembered now why dancing with her had been such a happy experience.

"I didn't got back east because I added a few more places to my itinerary," she explained. "I just love it out here. I didn't want to go home."

"How did your parents feel about that?" Heath asked.

"Not very good, but they let me have my way. I'm their only daughter, so they dote on me. I get away with murder."

Heath chuckled. "So where have you gone?"

"Oh, when I left here, I actually started to go back east. Got so far as St. Louis and decided I wanted to see more, so I've been to Kansas City and then to Denver and Sacramento and San Francisco."

"You came from Carson City. How did you come to end up there?"

She almost blushed. "A gentleman I met in Sacramento had business opportunities there and talked me into going with him to look things over. I looked him over and decided he was no gentleman. That was two weeks ago. I dodged him until I could come back here. I wanted to see a real gentleman again before I go home to Baltimore."

Heath smiled. "Have you made arrangements to stay anywhere?"

"No, not yet."

"Mother asked me to see if you would like to stay with us."

"Oh, I would love to. I will only be staying for three nights, then I'll catch the train to go home to Baltimore, and I'd love to spend it seeing more of the ranch and talking with Audra."

"Audra's looking forward to talking with you, too."

XXXXXXXXX

Was she ever.

Heath had scarcely ushered Melanie through the front door before Audra had her by both hands and they were chattering all the way to the settee in the living room. Victoria and Heath were left in the foyer, looking at each other with raised eyebrows and then resigned grins.

Victoria shook her head and said, "She must get it from her father."

Heath laughed. "We didn't see Jarrod in town, so I don't know when he'll be home. I guess Nick is still out on the range."

Victoria nodded. "He hasn't been in all day, but I expect he'll turn up somewhere between four and six. He's anxious to meet Melanie."

"She's anxious to meet him. But she's more anxious to spend some time riding on the ranch."

"Will she stay with us?"

Heath nodded. "She's only spending three nights before she heads back to Baltimore. No time to organize a dance."

"Well, I'm sure you can keep her entertained."

"If I can't, Audra can."

The girls were still talking a mile a minute. Victoria and Heath only caught a couple sentences – something about new fabric in from New York that Audra had bought and something about Nick being here this time and something about that fellow in Carson City that Melanie soured on. The topics were flying by so fast that Heath had to shake his head and go for the liquor table. Maybe a slight buzz would slow things down for him.

"I'll join you," Victoria said.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was going on six o'clock when Nick came in from the range. Jarrod had arrived home on a few minutes earlier and was taking his saddlebags off his horse before the stable hand took Jingo in to be brushed and settled for the night. Nick dismounted nearby.

"So you made it home for dinner," Nick said to his older brother.

"Yeah, finished up all right," Jarrod said. "Didn't take a lunch break, so things went pretty fast."

"Did you remember your cases once you looked at them?"

Jarrod shook his head. "Not a one."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it. You probably hadn't worked that much on them before you left. Never had the chance to get anything to remember."

"Possibly," Jarrod said. "Anyway, I'm not worried about it. I've just been working on them like they were new. I'll have another look tomorrow. It won't get embarrassing until the client comes in and I can't remember him."

"Just let it go for now. I take it the mysterious Melanie is here?"

"I don't know. I suspect she is, since the buggy is here."

"Let's go find out."

Nick gave his brother a slap on the back, and they went into the house together.

Victoria, Heath and Audra were in the living room with Melanie. Nick smiled a big smile – he liked what he saw. Her dark hair and eyes appealed to him, and as he came closer, he caught the scent she wore, the same as the scent on the letter. He reached for her hand. "Hello. I'm Nick Barkley, the brother Heath has told you nothing about."

Everyone chuckled as Nick kissed her hand. "Well, you did come up as the topic of conversation now and then," Melanie said. "I'm delighted to meet you."

Jarrod came over and took her hand next. He remembered her instantly, but as he took her hand, now absent the glove, something about it stirred some memory in him that he didn't like. He couldn't remember what and he didn't know why, and it would have been rude to start examining her hand like a doctor looking for a break. He was left wondering to himself what was bothering him. "It's good to see you again, Melanie. I hope you had an easy trip from Carson City."

"A little bumpy here and there, but otherwise just fine," Melanie said. "And it's good to see you again, too, Jarrod."

"Melanie was just telling us about her time in San Francisco," Audra said.

"I live there part time. How did you like it?" Jarrod asked.

"I remember that you lived there," Melanie said. "I enjoyed it very much – the art and the theatre were wonderful."

Jarrod tried a little prying. "Were you visiting friends there?"

"Acquaintances of my parents," Melanie said, "but that was just for propriety's sake. I'm afraid I tended to wander about on my own a lot."

"Not the safest thing for a young lady to do."

"No, but my parents' acquaintances are quite a bit older and don't get out as much as I would like, and they introduced me to a nice young man who escorted me two or three times."

That was the end of Jarrod's prying for the time being. The rest of the evening was spent in casual conversation, good food, and Nick trying to best Heath for Melanie's attentions. After dinner, when Heath invited Melanie to take a walk outside, it looked like Nick was coming out the loser.

"She's too young for you anyway," Jarrod said quietly to his brother as they watched Heath and Melanie stroll away from the library door into the yard.

"Maybe, but she is an eye-catcher, isn't she?" Nick replied without taking his eyes off her.

"Hmm," Jarrod replied. "I wish I remembered her better."

Nick looked at him. "You don't remember everything?"

"No," Jarrod said. "Something's eluding me, and it's bothering me. Something I don't like."

Nick smiled. "You're probably just jealous that you're not ten years younger."

Jarrod gave another, "Hmm," and watched Heath and Melanie disappear in the darkness.

Nick looked back at them, too. "It'll come back to you," Nick said. "Probably after she's left, when it's of no use to you anymore."

"That is the way things seem to work, isn't it?" Jarrod said, and he and Nick closed the library door and came back into the suspicious stares of their mother and sister.

"She'll only be here for a couple more days," Victoria said. "I think you two can hide your jealousy for that long, don't you?"

Nick and Jarrod looked at each other in surprise.

"Me?" Jarrod said.

"Jealous?" Nick said.

"Of course not," Victoria said sarcastically.

XXXXXXXX

As they walked together in the soft light coming from the house, Heath and Melanie carried on casual conversation about her trip.

"I suppose I liked San Francisco the best," she was saying, "but I am sorry I spent so much time in the cities and so little seeing the countryside. It's so different from back east."

"I haven't seen much of the land east of the Mississippi," Heath said. "I hear there's lots of woods and greenery."

"Oh, yes, and mountains, but they're different than the mountains out here. Here they're so high, so barren – nothing but rock, but so beautiful. And there's nothing like the desert I saw from the train in Nevada – so flat and so empty of anything at all."

"Well, why don't I take you riding around the ranch tomorrow and the next day, give you a good view of our valley here. It's rich and green, like it is back east, but maybe bigger than you've seen before."

"I'd like that," Melanie said. "You know, I'm sorry that you and I won't have more time to get to know one another. You're the reason I came back here before I go home."

Heath smiled a little. "That's nice to hear."

"Fleeting romances have their own appeal," Melanie said. "I know we won't be seeing each other again after I leave, but it's not that important. I just wanted to enjoy some more time with you before I went home."

"Is there a young man waiting for you in Baltimore?"

"No, but there are two parents who have definite ideas about potential husbands waiting for me in Baltimore." She chuckled. "I think I came out here just to sow some of my wild oats before I have to settle down like a proper young girl of my social class."

Melanie stopped and looked up at Heath in the soft light. She was inviting him to kiss her. He wasn't sure it was a good idea, but then he bent and did kiss her softly. "That wasn't your first kiss," Heath said.

She laughed. "No, but it was definitely one of the best."

XXXXXXX

It was over an hour before they came back into the house. Victoria and Audra were reading in the living room. Jarrod was nowhere to be seen, and Nick was also missing.

"Did you enjoy your walk?" Victoria asked.

"Very much," Melanie said and she and Heath came into the living room. "Where are Nick and Jarrod?"

"Jarrod's working in the library, and Nick is fixing himself something to eat before we retire."

"Nick's a big eater," Heath said. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm fine," Melanie said, "but it's been a long day. I think I would like to retire now myself."

Audra put her book aside and popped up. "I'll show you to your room."

And the girl talk took off again as Audra led Melanie up to the guest wing of the house. Heath laughed, and Victoria smiled.

"She's quite a girl," Victoria asked.

"Yes, she is," Heath said as he watched Audra and Melanie disappear.

"Are you sorry she'll be leaving?"

Heath turned his attention back to his mother, and sat down beside her on the settee. "In a way. I'm enjoying her company, but I don't think she's come out here to find a beau. I think she's come out here to avoid one."

"Oh?"

"Matchmaking parents in Baltimore."

"Oh. "

"She's a free spirit," Heath said. "I think she'd rather spend a few more years just wandering like a butterfly, lighting down here and there for a moment, then flying away again."

"And that does hold a certain appeal, doesn't it?"

Heath laughed. "More like a challenge. Not one I want to take on, though. I'll just enjoy remembering the butterfly."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nick came down to breakfast the next morning expecting to find Heath there, but no one was there, except Silas. He was clearing away two plates. Nick grew suspicious.

"Silas," he said, "who's been here and gone?"

"Mr. Heath and Miss Melanie," Silas said. "They ate very early and they've gone out riding." Silas then went off to the kitchen.

"Hmm," Nick grumbled. His chances for time with Melanie were disappearing. _Ah, well,_ he thought and turned to his breakfast.

Jarrod came in just as Nick dug into the steak. "Mother will have a fit if we start before everyone is assembled," he said.

"Too late," Nick said. "Heath and Melanie have already been here and gone out riding."

Jarrod took his seat at the end of the table and was putting his napkin on his lap when Victoria and Audra came in. "Good morning," Victoria said. "Nicholas, you are beginning too early."

"Heath and Melanie have already been here and gone," Nick said.

"Oh, Melanie said they were going to go riding this morning," Audra said as she sat down. "I didn't think they'd be leaving this early, though."

"Heath likes the sunrise," Victoria said as she sat and put her napkin on her lap. "Nick, would you give the blessing?"

Nick gave a quiet and quick blessing and then resumed filling his plate.

Victoria saw Jarrod was in a suit again. "You're going back to the office? Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Jarrod said. "I just need to work a little harder to catch up, so don't plan on me for dinner."

"Don't overdo, Jarrod," Victoria said. "You're not even two weeks away from a serious head injury."

"Stop fretting, dear lady," Jarrod said. "Things are pretty much intact."

"Pretty much?"

Jarrod looked up at her suspicious eyes and smiled. "As intact as they ever were, and I will not overdo, just for you."

Nick said, "Well, I need to get going on that fence break by the old foothills road. I was planning on Heath helping me, but I guess I'm on my own and it'll take two days rather than one."

"Can't you get one of the hands to help you?" Audra asked.

"We're shorthanded," Nick said. "I don't want to take anybody off the other work we have. Jarrod, maybe you feel up to lending a hand?"

Jarrod shook his head. "Sorry, Little Brother, I've got too much to do at my office."

"Ah, you just don't want to get those hands dirty."

"My hands dig into a different kind of dirt," Jarrod said.

Once in town, Jarrod went straight to the telegraph office and sent a wire to his Pinkerton contact in San Francisco. He wasn't going to wait for his memory to fill in the hole that held Melanie Palmer. A quick check on her by Pinkerton might give him what he needed to scratch that itch he had in the back of his mind.

XXXXXXX

Heath took Melanie riding to a spot where he liked to spend the early morning hours, when he had the free time. It was a small meadow, not far from the Monarch Oaks meadow. When it was early, the fog would lift from the grasses, making the air tingle as the sun lifted the soft curtain that tended to settle in at night.

Heath helped Melanie off her horse and led her to a fallen log where he liked to just sit and think while watching the sun. "I think each one of us Barkley boys has a particular place we like to be by ourselves and fix all the problems of the world."

Melanie laughed. "It hasn't been working too well for you."

"Yeah, but we're stubborn. We keep trying."

Melanie looked around, taking a deep breath. "I can understand why this one is yours. The air is so fresh and new in the morning."

"Tends to get hot and prickly in the afternoon, though. Every rose has its thorn."

Melanie looked at him. "How about me? Do I have thorns?"

"I don't know you well enough to tell, but I'd be surprised if you had very many."

Heath took the opportunity to kiss her again, and Melanie let him. Then she turned back to looking across the meadow, toward trees in the distance and mountains even farther.

"You know," she said, "if my life were different, I could stay here longer, maybe forever."

Heath felt a little uneasy. He hadn't meant for her to take his kiss or his actions toward her too seriously.

"But," she continued. "I really am an eastern girl. I miss the cities, the art and the culture, just all the people and the energy. I really am looking forward to going home."

Heath believed she meant it. This was just a fleeting romance, and she was as happy with that as he was.

They sat and talked and kissed now and then for a long time before mounting up again and riding on to another spot Heath wanted her to see.

XXXXXXXX

The end of the day came far earlier than Jarrod wanted, because he hadn't heard anything from his Pinkerton contact. He was tired and his eyes were as dry as he could take for one day, so he headed on home at about eight o'clock.

When he entered the house it was after nine He found the family and Melanie in the living room, enjoying coffee. "Sorry I'm so late," he said, left his briefcase in the foyer and came in to kiss his mother.

"We saved some dinner for you in the kitchen," she said.

"Good, I'm starving."

"Get anywhere with the work you were fretting over?" Nick asked.

Jarrod knew the question had more to it than the work on his desk. "Yes and no," he said. "Still got a lot to do tomorrow but I've brought plenty here to work on in the morning."

"Don't over – " Victoria started.

"I know, don't overdo," Jarrod said. "Pardon me while I get a bite to eat."

Victoria sighed when he left the room.

"You worried about something, Mother?" Heath asked.

"Just his tendency to bury himself in his work sometimes," Victoria said. She looked at Melanie. "One thing about Barkley men – they get their teeth into something and they won't let go."

"I've been learning quite a few things about Barkley men," Melanie said. "Except for you, Nick. We haven't spent much time together at all."

"Well, now," Nick said, "my little brother has been dominating your time and forcing me to do all the hard work in the meantime. Maybe you might consider a return trip sometime soon and allow me to be your escort."

Melanie smiled. "I'm afraid I don't know when I'll be back out west. When I get home, my parents have definite plans for me."

"We'll make sure to stop by tomorrow so Melanie can watch how hard you work," Heath said.

Nick pictured her seeing him with his shirt off. "That might not be a bad idea."

"I'd like that, too," Melanie said, and she threw a flirting glance Nick's way.

Nick smiled and said, "Then I'd better get myself together for a good night's sleep. I'd hate for you to come find me lying down on the job."

He bid them all good night, giving his mother and sister kisses on the forehead and lifting Melanie's hand for another kiss. Then, with a wink to Heath, he went upstairs to bed.

"I think I'm ready to retire myself," Melanie said.

"I'll walk up with you," Audra said, and got up as Melanie did.

And the girl talk resumed as they went up the stairs.

Heath shook his head. "How can they find so much to talk about?"

Victoria said, "If you were a girl, Heath, you wouldn't have to ask."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next morning found everyone together at breakfast. Jarrod was not dressed in a suit, but wore only his casual blue shirt and dark pants. He was planning to work at home and then go into town early in the afternoon to see if there was a response from Pinkerton to his telegram.

Nick was in his work clothes, planning to finish up fixing the fence he had begun the day before. Audra and Victoria were planning to finish a dress for Audra that they were working on together, and Heath was planning to take Melanie riding again, a last look at the west before she took the train back to Baltimore.

"I've had a wonderful time," Melanie said. "I can't thank you all for entertaining me TWICE on this little vacation of mine."

"You'll have to write to us when you get home," Audra said, "especially if you find that one of the suitors your parents are planning for you turns out to be the right one."

"You never know – one of them may be exactly the right one," Melanie said.

Jarrod began to get up from the table. "If you'll excuse me, I want to get an early start on those files I brought home, so I will take my leave and shut myself up in the library."

"Don't forget to come out for lunch," Victoria said as he kissed her on top of her head.

"Better remind me," he said. "You know how I can get when I'm working."

He walked out of the room as Nick was saying, "Heath, why don't you bring Melanie up my way to see how a real man works in the wild west."

"I'd love to see that," Melanie said. "Will you have many helpers?"

"None," Nick said. "I am on my own today. If you want to see some real cowboys, talk Heath into taking you out to see the herd. That's where all of our hands will be."

"We've been short on men for a while," Heath explained.

"So I better get going," Nick said and got up from the table. "Ladies," he said, kissing his mother, "and gentleman," he said to Heath. "I am off to keep this ranch running."

Melanie smiled after him. "He has a certain charm, hasn't he?"

"Like a freight train has charm," Audra said with a laugh.

XXXXXXXX

Heath took Melanie out to see the herd first, and he was surprised in a way that she seemed interested. She asked about the cattle – what kind they were, where they were taken to market or to whom they were sold if not taken to market, how many calves they had every year, when branding took place. She was full of questions Heath hadn't expected.

Then she asked, "Have you always worked with cattle?"

"Mostly," Heath said as they sat mounted and watched. "Not always though. I've worked in mines. I've done scouting for the army. A few other things. Jarrod has me running errands and business trips these days when he can't do it. I think I like working with cattle most, though. Smells bad, but there's something relaxing about just moving them along from one pasture to another, spending all day outside in all this sweet country."

Melanie smiled. "You have a tendency to make everything sound romantic, do you know that?"

Heath smiled back at her. "I guess I'm a cowboy poet."

"You're very different from your brothers. Of course, they're different from each other. Jarrod, so businesslike and brainy. Nick, so open and easy. You, in the saddle but with the soul of a poet. A very interesting trio, the three of you. I'm sorry I can't stay longer and know you better."

"I'm sorry, too," Heath said, "but all fantasies have to end sometime, don't they?"

Melanie nodded, a little sadly. "Is Nick working nearby?"

"No, it'll take us til lunchtime to reach him, but Silas packed him plenty of food for us to share when we get there – and I can't say I'm in a hurry to get there."

Melanie laughed. "Well, then let's take the slow route."

XXXXXXXX

A knock on the door sent Silas to answer it, but Victoria and Audra, coming in from the kitchen, watched with interest as he did. Soon he closed the door and came back in, carrying an envelope.

"Who was that, Silas?" Victoria asked.

"A telegram from town for Mr. Jarrod," Silas said. "Do you think I ought to disturb him?"

"I'll take it to him," Audra offered, holding out her hand. "I was about to go in to remind him of lunch anyway."

Silas gave Audra the telegram, and she headed for the library. When she knocked at the door, Jarrod's voice said, "Come in."

Audra found him at the desk, hunched over a large file. "The telegram came for you, Jarrod."

"Oh, good, thank you," Jarrod said and took it from her.

"We'll be having lunch in about half an hour," Audra said.

"Just you and Mother and me?"

"Yes," Audra said. "Heath and Melanie have gone to go needle Nick about fixing the fences by himself." And she left.

Only half listening to her, Jarrod rubbed his tired eyes and opened the envelope. It was from Pinkerton. It did contain information he needed, and suddenly, that hole in his memory that contained Melanie began to fill in.

XXXXXXX

Nick took a break from his job when he finished redigging one of the post holes and went to the wagon that held the equipment and his canteen. He was glad a creek was nearby, because there was no way one canteen of water was going to last him all day. It was hot and he had already removed his shirt. Sweat was pouring off him like a waterfall.

He looked up to see if company might be coming, but so far, he was alone. Heath was taking his time with that sweet Melanie. Well, no wonder. She was pretty, and she was much closer to Heath's age. And she was leaving tomorrow. Nick decided he'd make a last play to steal a kiss after dinner and otherwise not think anymore about her.

XXXXXXX

Kissing her hand the first time, all her questions about Nick, her coming back a second time - it all came together with the wire from Pinkerton. Jarrod was carried off in a wave of swirling memories that seemed to physically wash him out of the library and into the foyer, where he tripped and crashed down on the bottom steps of the stairway. His shin caught the worst of it. No one was around, so he yelled, "Audra?! Audra!"

Audra came running from the kitchen, her mother right behind her. "Jarrod!"

Jarrod got to his feet, his mother and sister helping to steady him.

"What happened? Are you all right?" Victoria asked.

"I'm fine," Jarrod said. "I just tripped. Audra, where did you say Heath and Melanie were going?"

"Out riding," Audra said.

"Where?"

"Around the ranch, I guess."

"No, you said something about Nick!"

"They've gone to go needle Nick about fixing the fences by himself," Audra said.

"Where?!" Jarrod yelled.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jarrod grabbed Audra's arm and looked into her eyes. He was remembering everything now, every reason Melanie was an itch he hadn't been able to scratch. Now, he remembered. "Nick - where is Nick fixing fences?!"

"Off the old foothills road, near the creek," Victoria said.

Jarrod ran for his hat and gunbelt. He didn't even put either one of them on as he ran for the door.

"Jarrod, what's going on? Where are you going?!" Victoria asked.

"It's not about Heath! It's about Nick!" Jarrod yelled as he ran out the door.

He ran for the stable and was off so fast he did not even bridle or saddle Jingo. The horse was confused, but knew his master so well that he could follow Jarrod's directions just by how Jarrod tugged his mane or kicked his side. With his gunbelt slung over his shoulder, Jarrod took off at full gallop for the old foothills road, near the creek.

XXXXXXX

Heath and Melanie had taken a leisurely path to where Nick was working. Heath showed her several spots along the way that he especially liked, and he took a moment at a couple lovely views to dismount with her and steal a kiss.

"Heath Barkley, I believe I should have asked for a chaperone," Melanie finally said.

Heath laughed. "I'm harmless. Just prone to kiss a beautiful woman when I can get away with it."

Melanie laughed and ducked away from another kiss, returning to her horse and mounting up. _She's a tease,_ Heath told himself, and as she took off riding, he went after her.

He had to yell correcting directions to her once or twice. She was laughing back at him and staying just out of his reach. It never occurred to him to question how a girl from Baltimore could be such a good horsewoman. Later, he wished he had.

They finally caught up to Nick near lunchtime. He was working hard, shirtless, and was covered with sweat. He heard them coming and smiled, pausing for a moment as Melanie and then Heath right behind her pulled up and dismounted.

"She outran you, Heath," Nick laughed and headed for the wagon for a drink from his canteen.

Melanie laughed. "A girl has to protect her virtue."

Nick raised an eyebrow at his brother. "The lady's virtue is in jeopardy, is it?"

Heath had no chance to answer. They heard a rider coming fast, back from the direction he and Melanie had just come. As he drew closer, they realized it was Jarrod.

Nick's eyes narrowed. "Why's he riding bareback? Jarrod never does that anymore."

Jarrod pulled up to them and jumped off Jingo's back even as he was reaching for his gun. He let the gunbelt fall as he aimed directly for Melanie and stopped about fifteen feet away from her and his brothers. "Get away from them, Melanie," he said, and he almost growled the sentence.

"Jarrod, what the hell's the matter with you?" Nick asked.

"Get away from them!" Jarrod said again and cocked his gun.

Heath turned on him – and got between him and Melanie. "Jarrod, what's wrong with you?"

Jarrod caught him off balance and shoved him aside – but in that instant, Melanie had her hidden pistol out and pushed it into Nick's side. Taken totally by surprise, Nick stood stunned, unmoving except to move his hands up slightly, away from Melanie's gun.

Heath had fallen to the ground, but seeing what he was seeing, he did not get up.

"I remembered," Jarrod said. "I wasn't onto you because my memory's been full of holes lately and I didn't put your last visit together with this one. But I got some information from Pinkerton this morning and just a while ago I put it all together. I will kill you, Melanie, if you move to fire that gun at any of us."

Nick's disbelief suddenly turned into believing in his older brother. Jarrod knew something Nick and Heath did not know. Nick looked from Jarrod to Heath.

Heath looked steadily at Nick, and then steadily at Melanie. "Melanie, what's going on?"

"The end of a contract not fulfilled," Jarrod said. "It's not going to pay you to kill Nick now, Melanie, and you don't kill without a payoff. Shoot Nick, and I shoot you. There's nothing in this for you."

The tiny woman's dark eyes thought about it for a moment, and then she turned the pistol over in her hand and held it by the barrel, handing it over to Jarrod. "You're right. There's nothing in it for me."

Jarrod took her gun, and Nick quickly took hold of her right arm and twisted it behind her. His eyes were flaming. "Either of you two care to fill me in on what's going on?"

Melanie gasped in pain but relaxed as Nick pulled her left arm behind her and held her wrists together. She was so small, he could hold them tightly together with one hand.

Jarrod said, "She's a contract killer, Nick. Heath, she didn't come back here to see you again. She came because she didn't get to see Nick the first time."

Nick got even angrier. He twisted Melanie's wrists and made her cry out. "Who wants me dead? Who's paying you?"

Melanie said. "Maybe I'll tell the local prosecutor about that, but you can break both my arms before I'll tell you."

Jarrod said, "Heath, get some rope and let's tie her up and take her to town."

Heath climbed to his feet. His eyes locked on Melanie's again, but she was a different woman now. There was nothing coquettish about this girl – she was old beyond her years, and deadly to boot. She gave him a small grin and a shrug. He went to his horse for the rope.

XXXXXXX

"How did you know in the first place?" Nick asked, finishing off his shot of whiskey as he and his brothers tried to explain what had happened with Melanie to their amazed mother and sister.

"I was uneasy when you brought her here the other day, Heath," Jarrod said. "Something was bothering me, I just couldn't figure out what. I wired my contact at Pinkerton yesterday and got some information this morning that finally helped me put things together. It made me remember about the first time she was here. The first time I met her, I noticed she had a callous on her trigger finger when I kissed her hand. A lady from Baltimore with a callous there just didn't make sense – I just didn't have time to worry about it then and I didn't remember again it until this morning. And there were all the questions - the last time she was here she also asked me more than once about you, Nick, and I heard her ask Audra once, too."

"Come to think of it, she did ask me more than once, too," Audra said.

"I thought it was funny, but I didn't mention it to her or anybody else at the time, and as things went on here, it didn't seem like there was any reason to be concerned about it," Jarrod said. "She was here and gone before you came home, Nick."

"But the callous?" Heath asked. "I saw the callous too and didn't think anything of it at all."

"You're not a criminal lawyer," Jarrod said. "I'd heard of female contract killers before. There aren't many and they're very good and seldom caught. Then, about a month ago, in San Francisco, I heard about a suspected lady contract killer there who had appeared, killed a man and then disappeared. The legal community was bursting with gossip – I just couldn't remember it until I heard back from Pinkerton this morning. They were looking for a young woman, small and dark haired. But she was gone."

"And you didn't remember all this until today?" Victoria asked, looking concerned.

Jarrod took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Mother. I haven't mentioned that my memory still isn't what it should be. The truth is, a lot of memories still elude me. Things are coming back, but slowly. I didn't want to worry you."

"We can discuss that later," Victoria said.

Nick and Heath looked at Jarrod with small grins that made him feel like the nine-year-old who was the one caught in the lie they had all concocted.

"How did you decide to come after us today?" Nick asked.

Jarrod shook his head. "Something clicked when I got the telegram, just like it did when I saw your gun up in Rockville, Heath. It took a couple minutes, but all of a sudden I remembered how everything fit together. I remembered everything about her from the last time she was here and everything I had heard in San Francisco last month, and I realized why I was feeling so uneasy about her when she came here this time. It all fell together, or at least together enough for me to get worried about it."

"And I told her all sorts of things she needed to know, me and my foolish girl talk," Audra said, shaking her head.

Jarrod smiled. "You weren't alone, Honey. I told her things, too."

"As did I," Victoria said.

"And me," Heath said. "She was getting information about Nick from all of us, last time and this time. We just never checked with each other. She had us all fooled. Jarrod, what's going to happen to her now?"

"I'll lay odds she's killed a lot of people, for money," Jarrod said. "She has to pay the price."

"How does that happen to a sweet girl from Baltimore?" Audra asked.

"Who knows?" Jarrod said. "The sweetness was just a ruse, and chances are she's not even from Baltimore and wasn't on a tour out here. Maybe we'll find out more about her. Maybe not. But the important thing is that she'll be put out of business."

Heath shook his head. "I'm sorry, Nick. I nearly cost you way too much."

"She'd have had to kill you, too, Heath," Jarrod said. "And, once again, it's up to Big Brother to rescue you both." Then he smiled at his brothers. "Returning the favor, for Rockville."

"Consider it returned," Nick said. "But one thing we still don't know – who hired her to kill me?"

Jarrod nodded unhappily. "We can only hope she'll give him up. Until then – best keep your head down, Nick."

"Yeah," Nick grumbled and finished off his latest whiskey. And wondered.

THE END

(for now…)


End file.
